By Dr Sarah Venter

Another baobab gone – do we need more proof?

Three large baobabs form an avenue on either side of the track leading up to Schroda Dam view in Mapungubwe National Park.  These trees have stood on this hillside for hundreds of years.  Last month one of them died as a result of elephant damage as many other trees in this National Park. Fortunately, the other two trees were meshed [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

A fence and gate for Domboni Preschool

There are so many unforeseen needs of a preschool, the most important is a fence.   A few moths ago the Baobab Foundation helped Principal Mavis Tshiwela renovate a rundown building to create a classroom for her learners.  The next job was to put up a fence and a gate that would keep the children from wondering off and the preschool [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Equipment for protecting baobabs donated to SANParks

Protecting baobabs from elephants is an ongoing effort.  There are over 600 baobabs on Mapungubwe National Park.  Every few moths a baobab collapses and dies from elephant damage in the park.  Mapungubwe National Park has limited resources and is unable to dedicate equipment solely to the protection of baobabs.  The Baobab Foundation has put together a pamphlet on How-to-mesh-a-baobab, which [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Baobab Foundation helps new Matatani Preschool with equipment

Matatani PreSchool opened its doors in February 2024, but the classrooms were bare.  There were no chairs and tables for the teachers, no buckets to collect water, no cooking pots for making food and so much more was missing that the school was about to close just as it opened. The container-buildings were donated by the University of Johannesburg as [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Lets learn about baobabs

Surrounded by majestic baobabs, Domboni Primary School is situated on the edge the remote village of Domboni in northern Venda.    I arrived at the school in the middle of one of their English lessons.  It must have been a relief to the children, when I switched to TshiVenda, their home language,  to talk about environmental conservation and baobabs.  I’m sure [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Grow your own baobab

Baobabs produce a large fruit which are filled with hard kidney-shaped seeds.  These seeds are “nature-designed” to survive harsh conditions and to germinate at exactly the right time so that the young seedling can grow and survive in the wild.  Our job is to crack that code by mimicking the natural conditions that stimulate germination and allow the seedlings to [...] Continue Reading
By Dr Sarah Venter

Do bees pollinate nocturnal baobab flowers?

Pabalelo Phori (MSc candidate) investigates the role of bees and other insects visiting baobab flowers. The buzzing of bees around baobab flowers in the early morning is a common sight and although bees are an important pollinator of many species, do they actually play a role in pollinating baobab flowers?  This is the important question that Pabalelo will be investigating [...] Continue Reading
By Elthea Schlesinger

Kids over the moon with new storybooks in Tshivenda

Tshedza and Zwigodini preschools’ kids were the first to receive their box of Book Dash storybooks. For many of them it is the first time they hear, see and have access to a storybook, let alone one in their very own Tshivenda language! We have divided the first hundred Book dash books, funded by Skoon, into five boxes or mini […] Continue Reading